The basic plan for the two major American ute designs was to take the station wagon body, give it the coupe doors and turn the rest of the area into a bed. It’s a solid plan, it’s a cheap design modification, and it was different enough that it was able to sell without cannibalizing sales from other cars in the lineup. It’s a win-win situation…or, it should have been, but utes in America had a shelf life, which for Ford ended, for the most part, in 1979 with the last year of the Ranchero. Sure, there were a handful of Ford Durangos sold through 1982, but those are rare enough to be considered one-offs. But by 1990, utes were dead, period: The Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp were done within two years, and in 1987 GM dropped the ax on the Chevrolet El Camino and GMC Caballero. Utes were dead in 1990, yet somehow full-frame station wagons were still clinging onto life.

Fast forward twenty-six years, and station wagons are so rare to see that they are cool, and finding ragged-out examples aren’t difficult. So, if you have a chop saw handy, have a welder for the doors and miss the days of business in front, party in back rides, your ship has come in. Starting with a 1990 Ford Crown Victoria wagon, there was some chopping, some grinding, and some woodworking for a proper bed, and the result speaks for itself. What it is saying is up to you.

Craigslist Link: 1990 Ford Crown Victoria ute conversion